The Tale of Two Families
by That Guy who posts stuff
Summary: Ailey is a protege. Lucian is a slacker. When the Council forces these two into becoming parabatai they started a chain of events they couldn't have expected. Follow these two as they make new friends and enemies, while also drawing the ire of things as ancient as the Shadowhunters.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's The Mortal Instruments and all associated properties belong to Cassandra Clare.**

Prologue

Shadow Hunters had been around as long as regular people, mundanes are what they called the common folk they then they had been through many changes throughout history. Currently they all had institution dedicated to training the next generations of Hunters. However even in this shadow world that existed to protect human kind there was still a hierarchy that was to be respected. Sure they were all Hunters, but that didn't mean that pedigree didn't take precedence over skill. Of course you could be born in a low ranking family and be equally skilled as the next child of a high ranking one, but that didn't mean you were equals in the eyes of the Council.

That brings us to where we are now. Two families with a long history of arguments and disdain towards one another. The Darkthorn's were a prideful family with a long history of victories with a trophy to prove every story true to some degree, and within the house of the family was an armory fit for a castle. Any weapon imaginable was within these halls and they all were made specifically for the family.

The other family was one far less reputable, some would even say they were shunned all together by the community. The Flamebrandts were known for being willing to do whatever it took to achieve a goal even if it meant doing something thought taboo by the Council and most other Hunters.

But, I digress. Today Idris was in a buzz over the fact that there was to be a fight between a child of the Darkthorns and the sole son of the Flamebrandts.

Ailey Darkthorn was the eldest child of the Darkthorn. Beautiful, Headstrong, and Prideful. She had her crimson hair braided tightly and flipped over her shoulder. Her tone was akin to milk. Like all Hunters she had on a tight black tee with skin tight black jeans accompanied by a pair of black combat boots. She twirled her twin hatchets around preparing herself for the duel.

In the opposing corner was the bored son of the Flamebrandts. Lucian Flamebrandt. Dark haired, broody, and tanned. He never cared for the family feud he was born into instead preferring to train with weapons and learn any rune he thought useful. He was lacking a parabatai though, as was Ailey.

"Wait." He just thought of the situation he was in with Ailey. A public spectacle for all of Idris to see overseen by the council and no one questioned it. "Shit, they plan on making us parabatai." He finally realized what was going on.

Ailey was thinking more about her opponent. Lucian and she had met in early on in training. She always disliked his lack of motivation, even now she saw that his face lacked any noticeable expression other than boredom. It infuriated her to no end that even when he was about to fight he was not motivated to take it seriously. "I'll make him take me seriously." She gritted her teeth and clenched her weapons even tighter.

Just then there was a silence so tense no one dared to move. The head of the Council spoke. "Today we are gathered here to watch a duel between the heir of the Darkthorn family and the heir of the Flamebrandt family. May the angels guide one of you to victory." She finished as she returned to her seat.

Ailey rushed out of her corner trying to stop the fight before it even started. Lucian knew she was bold and headstrong, but rushing an opponent before gauging them is a fatal mistake. Just from what she did he knew right of hand that she was going to value speed over power. He swiftly twirled his bastard sword and met her halfway in the arena . The roars of the crowd erupted as soon as their blades met. Ailey broke the stalemate by taking a swipe at his leg. He broke off contact and attempted to slash at her abdomen. She deftly dodged it and threw one of her hatchets at him, but he caught it a threw it right back at her. She caught it and rushed him again pelting him with speedy blows trying to force him to yield. What she didn't expect was for him to use his sword to push her off balance. She quickly regained her footing as she swung at his head, and he poised himself for a thrust to her heart.

"Stop." Was all that was heard by the two as the head of the council spoke up. "Both of you fought spectacularly, but neither of you won." Ailey looked at the situation. Her hatchet was poised at his throat and his blade placed to pierce her heart. "Ailey Darkthorn and Lucian Flamebrandt, I must speak to both of you at once, get changed and meet me in the council chambers." She said curtly as she and the rest of the council members disappeared into the shadows.

Within 10 minutes Ailey had switched into a loose long sleeved black tee, but she kept her jeans and boots on. Lucian had swapped outfits entirely. He wore a white button up with a tie complemented by a black tuxedo vest with black slacks and what she swore were dress boots. She had to admit for a slacker he cleaned up nice, even his hair was washed and pulled back into modest ponytail. They had both arrived at the council chambers at the same time. He opened the door for her. "Wow, I must be dreaming you actually are a gentleman." She said. "No, but this gives me an excuse to stare at your ass." He replied flatly. She scoffed at him as she walked through the door. "Wait," She thought "Is he actually looking at my butt?" She turned around and sure enough there he was looking at her ass. "Hey, my ass and everything else is off limits." She said angrily. He busted out laughing. "Okay Mistress Darkthorn whatever you say." He said as he bowed mockingly. She just walked off not wanting to deal with him. He fell in behind her this time actually paying attention to what awaited them ahead and not her rear. They both arrived in the council chambers. "Ailey Darkthorn, Lucian Flamebrandt you two are to become parabatai then you will be transferred to an institution." The head of the council stated this matter-of-factly. "Why are you making me be a parabatai with this miscreant?" She asked angrily. "I could tell you, but I know that Lucian had already figured it out in the hallway." The head replied. "The council wants us to become parabatai because we are both unapproachable, but in different ways." He said. "What does that even mean?" Ailey asked him still angry with the decision. "Your family is one of the highest in terms of history you are essentially the family that every strives to be, but can't achieve." He looked at her seeing if she understood before continuing. "My family however is one of the lowest and it what every family strives not to be. We are thought to be cursed by god and the archangels." He finished looking somewhat somber. The head of the council continued where he left off. "We chose you two for this because you are both extremities. One is the highest you can hope to be, while the other is the bottom you hope you never get near." She finished. Lucian had his stele out and was waiting for the command from the council, meanwhile Ailey was wondering what she did to deserve this punishment. She reluctantly drew out her stele. Lucian draw the rune of the parabatai on her first with no hesitation. The rune burned itself into her left shoulder blade. Lucian unbuttoned his vest and shirt showing her his toned back awaiting her to draw her rune on him. She was hesitant to even be associated with him, but this was an order from the council and no one can disobey those. She drew the same rune onto him as it burned into his skin permanently binding them together. "Now that this binding is complete ready your things then travel to the New York institution." The head said as she dismissed them.

30 minutes later Ailey was sitting near the portal to the institution waiting impatiently for Lucian. "I swear that assbrain has no motivation to do anything." She said to no one. As she completed another circle as she was growing more impatient by the minute. As she was about to berate him again she saw him coming up the path to the portal carrying a bag that she assumed he had clothes in and a bastard sword strapped to his back. "Oh, look who finally decided to grace me with his presence." She said sarcastically as he raised an eyebrow at her remark. He sighed too tired to even come up with a comeback. "Do you need me to take your bag, or are you still on your high horse thinking I'm not worth the time of day?" He asked. She simply walked past him and took her bag as they both stepped into the portal leading to their new lives.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments and all associated properties belong to Cassandra Clare**

Chapter 1

They stepped out of the portal into the New York Institute. Lucian wore his trademark look of boredom as they stepped out, but Ailey was the exact opposite. Her face lit up in excitement as she stared at the place that was to be their new home. The Institutes were state of the art and monitored all downworlder activity in the areas that were in their jurisdiction. Lucian saw the leader of this institute out of the corner of his eye. "You two must be the new kids." He said as he walked over to them. "I'm Hodge Starkweather, the weapons trainer and leader of this institute." He started. He led them down hallways explaining what each one was in basic details. This one here is the training room, or this one here is a weapon room. Eventually he stopped in front of a door. "Regrettably we only have one room remaining, but it has two beds for the both of you." He stated as he pushed open the door. The room was modest in size and accessories, but it would suffice the two of them or rather Lucian but Ailey was very very vocal in her dislike of the idea. "I refuse to sleep in the same room as this pervert." She said as she pointed at Lucian with an accusatory finger. "Trust me I like you about as much as I like a rabid werewolf, but I'm not going to complain about everything thrown at us and demand it change." He replied harshly. Hodge coughed lightly to break the tension building between the two. "As Lucian said whether you like it or not this is the best we can do so I'm sure you two will adjust." He said hopefully as he shut the door leaving the two there in a tense silence. Lucian was the first to move sitting his things down next to the smaller of the two beds and took off his tuxedo vest. Ailey followed suit and sat on the larger of the two beds and laid her bag down next to it before she fell backwards onto the bed exhaling heavily. She was tired after all that had happened today, and it was closing in on evening. She pushed herself off the bed she was in and pulled out a set of casual clothes and a towel and cloth as she disappeared into the bathroom. Lucian watched her go in. He was tired too, but it was due to a lot of things, like falling out with his family and losing all of his swords but the one he had strapped to his back. He unsheathed the blade and looked at it. Due to events from his families past they were banned from having any kind of seraph weapons for three centuries. From what he knew they were halfway through the second century. He stared intently at the blade he crafted. It was a darkened steel blade plated with silver to be effective against the downworlders and had a flame rune etched into the blade. Aside from the blade the hilt, cross guard, and pommel were standard with the pommel being a claw gripping a firey red gem. He slid the blade back into its scabbard and propped it against the wall near his bed. He saw Ailey exit the bathroom followed by a cloud of steam. "Ah I feel amazing after that." She said. Lucian grabbed a towel, a pair of dark blue jean, and entered the bathroom. Ailey was finally coming to grips with the situation she was in and she figured it wouldn't do to be constantly arguing and fighting with the person she was bound to for the rest of her life. She was staring at the ceiling thinking of her mom and dad. They always told her to never interact with Lucian, though they never even used his name it was more of calling him trash or miscreant those were just the nice ones. Her two younger sisters were polar opposites. One preferred fighting will one preferred reading. While one was thinking of how to outlast an opponent the other was trying to find out how to outsmart them. They were good children though. "I miss Chole and Annabelle already." She said sadly. She was broken from her thoughts as Lucian stepped out of the bathroom. She immediately started to turn red seeing him there without a shirt on. She did have to admit though that he had a lot of scars on his toned body, like light slashes of white on a canvas. He noticed her staring as well. "Do you like what you see or are you just trying to see if you can set me on fire with you mind?" He asked her sarcastically as he walked to his bed. She turned away from him. "I was trying to set you on fire with my mind but sadly my almighty powers seem to be broken." She replied getting a light chuckle out of him. He was now wearing a red form fitting tee that was fully accentuating his body. He pulled on a pair of black socks and his combat boots. They heard a knock at the door and seeing as how Lucian was the one closest to it he answered it. In the door stood three boys around his age so they all had to be between 18 or 19. The three in his door looked at him as if they were looking at Satan himself. When you come from the Flamebrandt's though you get used to the looks. Lucian smiled at them trying to appear nice. "How can I help you three? "He asked kindly. One of them said they needed nothing and the three boys disappeared around a corner. "Who was that?" Ailey asked him. "Some random guys who I'm guessing came to see the new hot chick." He said. "Did you just call me hot?" She asked him. "That is really all you got out of that sentence?" He looked at her quizzically. "Yep." She said. He looked at the time. "Are you hungry?" He asked her. "Yea I could use a bite." Was her reply. He got up and opened the door for her. "After you" he said curtly. She brushed past him and he looked at her butt one more time. "Shit I really am becoming a pervert." He thought to himself as he closed the door but not before he grabbed two silver plated daggers before stepping out of the door. "Never hurts to be prepared." He thought as he closed the door.

* * *

They found the elevators and rode one down to the street level. Ailey stepped out of the elevator into the city and had the look of a child in the candy shop. Lucian looked bored as usual. Ailey walked towards the first shop she found which happened to be this place called "Starbucks." Lucian fell in line behind her and followed her in. For it to be 8:30 at night this place sure was packed. Lucian leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Do you actually have any money?" Now that she thought about it she didn't. She looked at him with almost begging eyes. He sighed heavily but gave her $15. She cheered herself on for successfully breaking him down. She ordered a frappuccino and a donut. Lucian being the practical person he was ordered a small black coffee and a chocolate covered donut stick. Ailey was eating it like it was the best thing she ever had. Lucian was lost in thought when he felt something malicious coming. From the look he saw on Ailey's face she felt it too. "We're leaving. Now." Lucian said leaving no room to argue. He and Ailey walked out of the place. He cursed under his breath trying to find a safe route back to where they came from. Sure, it wasn't far but New York is a dangerous place. He looked around trying to find a route to the Institution, and he found it. He grabbed her hand and ran down the street before running straight through incoming traffic. He looked back at the other side of the street, and sure enough he saw 5 hooded figures staring at them through the traffic. "Uh Lucian you still have my hand." Ailey was looking at him and motioning to his hand interlocking with hers. "Sorry." He said as he released her hand still looking at the figures as they disappeared into the darkness. Ailey and he turned around and walked into the institute finding their way back to their rooms before crashing into their beds and passing out.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments and all associated properties belong to Cassandra Clare.**

Chapter 2

Two weeks had pasted since they had arrived in New York, and both had adjusted well to the city. Ailey and Lucian had gotten into arguments almost every day, sometimes it was just for the sake of arguing. Lucian was starting to feel the useless back and forth grating on his nerves. Sure, they were going to have to spend the foreseeable future together, but when you had to deal with someone as stubborn as Ailey Darkthorn death almost seemed like the better option. Which leads us to another argument happening in the training room.

* * *

"Lucian!" She yelled at him as she entered the room. He sighed heavily knowing exactly what was about to happen. "Fight me." She said. This had been going on since they day they had arrived. She just couldn't accept that someone like Lucian had been on par with her skills. The first few times he complied easily seeing it as a way to past the time of day, but every fight ended the same way. She'd have an axe to his throat and he a sword to hers. He grew bored of it after the third fight. He had gotten to the point of almost ignoring her daily, and that in turn caused her to yell at him even more. "Flamebrandt I said fight me!" She roared from behind him. "I have no desire to fight with you again." He stated bluntly returning to stance practices. She scoffed at him as she threw up her arms and walked out of the door.

* * *

The two of them had very different experiences since arriving here. Lucian was avoided by almost everyone simply because of who he was, and for that exact same reason everyone wanted to know Ailey. Every boy there had been trying to talk to and be "friends" with Ailey, and most girls were trying to be her friends. Most boys wanted to fight Lucian, but he always ignored them. Some of them had taken to calling him a coward, or saying he wasn't skilled enough to fight another Hunter. He'd been used to being made fun of and berated since he was a child being raised in Idris. He remembered there was one group of kids that he didn't hate. The Lightwood children, Alec and Isabelle, were nicer to him than most people were. He wondered where they might be since events forced them to leave Idris years ago to go to an institute. As if they heard his thoughts two familiar faces in an otherwise sea of unknown rabble walked into the training room. Alex and Isabelle hadn't changed all that much since he last saw them. He decided against trying to talk to them when he was stopped by someone calling his name. "Oh my god, Lucian is that you?" Isabelle asked him as he was about to walk away. "Shit." Was all he thought as he turned to face them. Lucian was surprised to be pulled into a hug by Isabelle. "It's been too long." She said softly. Lucian wasn't used to showing affection or really any type of emotion. Alec had opted for a handshake instead of hugging him. For the first time in a long time he didn't feel like he was alone. He and the Lightwoods sat there talking for 20 minutes or so catching up. Then Alec asked the question he was dreading. "So how did you get here?" He asked him. Lucian sighed. "I ended up finally getting a parabatai." He said tiredly. "And it's none other than Ailey Darkthorn." He finished. Alec did his best to snicker in his hands, but Isabelle was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe. Lucian frowned slightly but let them finish. "You truly do have the worst luck I've ever seen." Alec said still snickering lightly. Lucian sighed and looked out the window. It couldn't be any later than one in the afternoon. "Well, I'm off to my room." Lucian said as his got up from the seat he was in and vanished behind the corner leaving the siblings to their training.

* * *

Ailey was laying on her bed reading a book when Lucian came in covered in sweat. He didn't even talk to her he just grabbed a set of clothes and disappeared into their bathroom. "Well that was rude." She thought to herself as she returned to her book. It was a tale of two knights working together to kill a lord of demons. Such tales were always available for hunters to read. She was broken from her thoughts by the sound of a knock at her door. She opened it to find two boys. Fin and Arthur were their names. They'd constantly pester her with things like can we go on a date and are you seeing someone or just playing hard to get, but why were they in her room? Fin and Arthur were a lot of things creeps probably being at the top of that list. "Hey, Ailey we were wondering if we could come in and talk?" Fin asked her. "Sure." Was her only response as she turned away from the open door letting them come inside. They sat in the two chairs near a small dining table that she'd convinced Lucian they'd need. "You see the thing is Arthur and I are dreadfully lonely tonight, and you seem like you'd be good company." Fin said with a disturbed grin on his face. "Both of you get out, Now." She said venomously. "You see we can't do that without you, so either you come by choice or you come by force." Arthur said as he and Fin had gotten up and were closing in on her. Before she could move to defend herself they had closed in on her and had her pinned down. She struggled against their grips. This was it, she was about to get raped and no one was going to help her. They had ripped off her shirt and pants, and they were closing in on her under garments. She was starting to breakdown. "Oh man I'm gonna enjoy this." Arthur said as he started to unbuckle his pants and Fin kept her pinned down. "Damn it Lucian save me." She thought to herself. Lucian opened the bathroom door and looked at the scene before him. "Get off her." Was all he said. Arthur laughed. "You think you can beat either one of us?" He laughed even more. Lucian wasn't in the mood for his shit or anyone else's. Before Arthur could make a move he had a dagger embedded hilt deep in his shoulder and was being thrown through the table. Fin tried to make a move but was pinned to the ground by Lucian who had a dagger poised to slit his throat. "Lucian." Ailey said softly. "Let them go." Lucian nodded while staring down angrily at Fin. He grabbed him by the collar and threw him out the door before yanking his dagger out of Arthur's shoulder and throwing him on top of Fin, but not before looking at him square in the face. "If you ever try to touch her again I will end your lives." He hissed at them before slamming the door on them. Lucian rubbed his temples while looking at Ailey. "We need to talk." He said looking at her with tired eyes. "But first you need to put on some clothes." He said looking a t Ailey for the first time since he'd been out of the shower. She was wearing a plain set of underwear which was just a white bra and white panties. She blushed furiously remembering that not only was he looking at her almost naked he had also just saved her. She threw on an oversized shirt that basically looked like a dress on her and sat back down. "I need you to try to trust me at the very least." He stated tiredly. "Why should I trust you?" She asked. "You came from a family that is basically the equivalent of Lucifer." She stated. "And your family is revered as if you're directly from Raziel." He quipped back. "My point is we are bound together, and I don't want us to be constantly fighting and arguing." He said. "So, can we try to make this work?" He asked her with hope in his voice. "I can try to adjust to you being my roommate and my parabatai." She said. "But I want to know why you refuse to fight me like you fought them." She said. "You may annoy me, but I'd never want to kill you however they have been a nuisance from day one and I got tired of them." He said. "They overstepped however and attempted to hurt you and I will kill anyone who attempts to hurt you." He finished looking almost hollow in his eyes.

* * *

They sat here for hours. Lucian had taken it upon himself to dispose of the table that was now broken beyond repair. Ailey was curled up in her bed thinking about the events of the day. It was just now turning 6 in the evening and Lucian had returned with takeout. He handed her a pint of fried rice, a drink, and a fork. He opened his own box of fried rice and immediately started to eat. "Thank you." Was all he heard from the other side of the room. "No problem. The food here is cheap." He said. "No, not for the food I mean for earlier." She replied. He looked at her with his fork in his mouth. He just grunted and went back to eating. They both finished eating about 10 minutes later. There was a banging on their door. Lucian immediately picked up a dagger with a reverse grip as he opened the door. At the door were the Lightwood siblings and Hodge. "Lucian, we need to talk in private as soon as possible." Hodge said bluntly with no room for argument. Lucian sighed but complied but not before telling Isabelle and Alec what happened before following Hodge. Isabelle heeded his request to stay with Ailey. She knew Ailey wasn't weak, but things like what happened to her don't leave your mindset as calm as it would be otherwise. "Hey." Isabelle said softly pulling Ailey into a hug. "Everything is going to be fine." She finished whilst softly petting Ailey's head.

* * *

Lucian was follow Hodge and Alec down the hallway into a chamber. Lucian was on edge the whole walk there opting to fiddle with his dagger rather than attempt any small talk. If he had to take a guess though the reason he was called involved someone being stabbed. Hodge turned to look at Lucian with grave eyes. "No matter what they say tell the truth." Hodge said to him. He nodded before they entered a chamber with one of the lower ranking Clave members acting as judge while the families of Arthur and Fin were there to watch the preceding, Lucian knew his father wouldn't show. He never showed his face unless something was to be gained. "Lucian Flamebrandt you stand accused of unprovoked violence against Arthur March and Finley Dovewing." He continued. "What say you in your defense?" Lucian spoke the truth. "Arthur and Finley attempted to rape my parabatai and I acted accordingly." He stated with conviction. The Marches and the Dovewings scoffed at my accusation. "Would you have killed them?" The Clave member asked. "Without a second thought if my parabatai hadn't told me to let them go." Lucian said his voice still laced with conviction. "That's a lie!" Arthur yelled. "He was attempting to force himself on her, but he beat us both!" Fin yelled after him. Lucian's eyes grew cold as he looked at Arthur and Finely. "He would have killed us then and there, but we ran to Hodge and explained what happened." Arthur said looking at Lucian not daring to look in his eyes. Fin seconded his comment. Lucian felt his heart being tugged on. He felt Ailey's grief and confusion. She must have felt his anger through the bond. At that point Isabelle walked in with Ailey who had changed into standard clothing. She looked at Lucian and smiled lightly. He knew he was going to be punished regardless of the verdict. He raised weapons again a fellow shadowhunters and there were consequences to that action. "Ailey Darkthorn you are the victim in this event. What do you have to say?" She looked at the Clave member, then at Arthur and Fin, and her eyes settled on Lucian. "I was in my room minding my own business when Arthur and Fin showed up." She started. "They forced their way in then they….they…" She couldn't continue what she was trying to say through her tears. Lucian immediately rushed to her side. He took her hand in his, and for the first time there wasn't any animosity or fighting it was just one parabatai helping another. Lucian grew colder in that moment looking at the Dovewings and Marches. "That is all the testimony I need." The Clave member spoke up. "Arthur March, Finley Dovewing, and Lucian Flamebrandt you are to prepare for a fight tomorrow. Arthur and Finley are to fight Lucian until one party can no longer continue." He finished much to the disdain of the Marches and Dovewings. The families looked at Lucian with disgust as if he set them up. Lucian helped up Ailey and they returned to their room. "Lucian, I'm sorry I got you into this mess." Ailey said as they returned. "I'm sure you'll return the favor one day, after all you're the heir to the Darkthorns." He said jokingly. He picked up his sword for the first time since they had arrived. He missed the weight of the blade in his hands. Ailey must have saw the gleam in his eye. "You know you finally don't look bored out of your mind." She said. He scoffed at that remark before readying himself for bed. "Hey um Lucian?" She asked him. "Yea Ailey?" She looked at him. "Could you sleep with me tonight?" He raised an eyebrow at this remark. "Not like that, I mean you're my parabatai and after today I don't feel safe as I used to." She looked at him almost with pleading with her eyes. He exhaled as he sat down next to her bed. "This is the best you'll get from me." He said as he laid his head back. She smiled at him a shut off the lights letting sleep take her, but Lucian wasn't sleeping he was guarding her. "No one is going to get to you on my watch." Was all he thought as he stared into the darkness.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments and all associated properties belong to Cassandra Clare**

Lucian finally fell asleep when he saw Ailey moving on her bed. Ailey wasn't happy with any of what was happening right now. She had inavertedly gotten Lucian into a mess and now he had to fight his way out of it. "I really fucked it up." She thought to herself as she lathered her body with flowery soap. Her hands rested on her breasts. She wasn't used to how her body had grown lately. Her chest used to be flat, but lately she had grown in more regions than one. Her rear had become more pronounced and her chest was well rounded, not robust but well rounded. She stepped out of the shower and decided to leave her hair down. She walked out wearing a plain white tee and a pair of sweats. Lucian was laid out on his bed. He looked peaceful. His chest rose and fell slowly and his breathing was shallow. She sat on her bed and combed out her hair. Since yesterday she felt more stable. Lucian's eyes fluttered open. He yawned loudly while stretching his limbs all of which popped. He walked into the bathroom and walked out in the same clothes. "No shower today?" She asked. "Not until after the fight is done." He said as he pulled on his black combat boots. The fun part about runes is that certain ones react to willpower such as the one in Lucian's blade. He looked at it, focusing intently on the flame rune etched into the blade. It caught Ailey by surprise she saw his sword spontaneously light. "Whoa! That is awesome!" Ailey exclaimed. "But why don't you have a seraph weapon?" She asked him. He looked at her with his firey orange eyes. "Apparently my family did something so heinous that we were stripped of our right to seraph weapons, so instead we opted for silver plated blades with runes etched in." He told her. Her axes were specially made for her family as a new form of seraph blade. He sheathed the blade and sat back down on his bed waiting to be pulled away to fight Arthur and Finley, so Ailey took this as a chance to learn more about him. "What is your dad like?" She asked him out of nowhere. "I'm not answering that." He said calmly. "Then what was your mom like?" She asked him, trying to get something out of him. "My earliest and only memory of my mother is her funeral." He stated somberly. She had no idea how to respond to the information she had just heard, so her only action was to stare at him. "But if you're trying to get closer then here's a nice bit of information. We became parabatai on my 18th birthday." He said. She went wide eyed. For two weeks now they had been living together and that was the first bit of information she had about him. Everyone knew about Ailey, she was the eldest child of the Darkthorns and excelled in all areas of study. But from what she had seen from Lucian he was as good as the older shadowhunters. A knock at the door broke them from their thoughts. Lucian opened it to find Alec and Isabelle there with some blonde guy. "Hey, Lucian this is Jace." Lucian and Jace looked at one another before coming to the realization that they had met. Lucian was about to say something, but Alec cut him off. "We came to get you for your fight." He said with a hint of tiredness. Ailey was off her bed and next to Lucian the moment she heard the word _fight_. Isabelle was about to advise against her going, but she saw that determined look in Ailey's eyes. Lucian didn't even bother strapping the sword on he simply withdrew it from its sheathe and began walking to the courtyard with blade in hand.

From what Lucian saw most of the institute had shown up to see the fight. He figured it was rare that they ever got to see any fights outside of sparring. What got to him though was that Ailey had tagged along. He knew she was going to come, she was too stubborn not to come. Whispers rippled through the crowd, some were about Ailey some were about Himself. The ones that caught his ear were the ones about him lying and somehow getting Arthur and Fin in trouble. He clenched his jaw. He was used to being blamed, but insinuating that Ailey would do something like that pissed him off for some reason. He stepped into the center of the courtyard waiting to be met by Arthur and Fin. They walked out of the crowd followed by Hodge who looked weary from this whole chain of events. If Lucian had to be honest he was tired of it as well, but his angry over took his weariness. Lucian was wearing his tuxedo shirt with his vest, while Arthur and Fin both wore the standard shadowhunter apparel. "The rules have changed." Hodge announced. "Instead of being a fight into submission, this will be a fight to the death." He finished with glazed over eyes. Lucian felt bad that it had turned into this, even the crowd that was originally excited had grown silent and worried. Lucian felt the worry coming off Ailey. What worried him most was that he felt nothing about killing them. "You may begin." Was all he heard from Hodge before he was beset upon by two seraph swords. Lucian dodged them trying to formulate any kind of strategy. Fin was a heavy hitter, but Arthur made up for that by constantly following up Fin's first attack with smaller hits. He needed a plan now or else he'd be the body on the pavement. Unfortunately formulating can leave you open. Fin had finally broken his guard and Arthur followed through with a thrust that pierced into Lucian's abdomen. "We'll get her this time." Arthur whispered in his ear as he kicked him off his sword. Lucian rolled and regained his footing clenching his sword in his right hand while covering the wound with his left. Fin charged him again with Arthur bringing up his rear. That's when Lucian heard a voice in the back of his head. "Pathetic." Was all the disembodied voice said. Was Lucian pathetic? He couldn't seem to find where the voice would be wrong in that assumption. "Fight!" The voice yelled. "Fight!" It repeated. From that moment on something in Lucian was irrevocably changed. The fire in his eyes burned hotter than ever and his blade erupted into blazing blue flames. Lucian threw his flaming blade like a javelin, and it found its way to Finley's heart causing him to fly backwards from the force before he landed on the ground never to move again. Arthur's anger over took him he tried to hit Lucian with a powerful overhead strike. It connected with the ground, but before he could swing again Lucian stepped on the blade with all his strength snapping it in half. He tried to swing with his half a blade, but his wrist was caught and snapped like his sword. Some part of Lucian wanted this from the beginning, but he felt something in his heart was holding him back. "No." He thought to himself. "It's already too late to go back." He kicked Arthur's right knee in causing him to fall over trying to squirm away from Lucian. As Arthur was squirming away Lucian had walked over to Finley and yanked his sword from his heart. This time the flames burned the standard orange. He stopped focusing on the fire and looked at Arthur. He stood in the path of Arthur. The look on Lucian's face was that of a cold-blooded killer. It was a mask devoid of all emotions. Arthur was about to beg for his life, but it was cut short by Lucian driving his blade through his skull before it slid out with no argument. "Lucian Flamebrandt is the victor." Hodge said as the crowd dispersed. Lucian was looking to the sky as a downpour started. He handed his sword to Ailey so he could heft the bodies of Arthur and Finley over his shoulders. He laid them both out of the rain before he took his sword from Ailey and disappeared without a word.

Ailey returned to their room expecting to find Lucian there too. Instead what she found was much different. He left his sword and a note.

 _Dear Ailey,_

 _I have some business to attend to and won't be home until late this evening_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lucian_

"Well he could've just told me that." She said aloud in her empty room. All she wanted was to talk to him to see if he was okay, well as okay as someone could be after killing two people. She decided to talk to him when he returned to their room.

Lucian had to get out of the institute for a while. Before he left he drew a healing rune near his would and wrapped himself with bandages. All he saw were the stares of people thinking he was to blame for all of this. Technically they weren't wrong if he hadn't been there none of this wouldn't have happened, but then Ailey would've been victimized. Lucian could live with the guilt of being a murderer. He had lived with it for a year already, so it's not like much had changed. Then he thought of what would've happened if he hadn't been there. Would she have ever told, or would she have taken her life out of the fear and mistrust she'd feel. Lucian broke himself from that train of thought as it had made him angry. "I need to go to a bar." was the only thought he had after that, and to a bar he did go. Sure, it was only noon, but some bar had to be open. He was right as he had found a bar owned by Magnus Bane. He knew the name due to how happily his father used to do business with him. He opened the door to find it relatively empty aside from a few werewolves, and Bane himself. Lucian ignored all of them and sat at the bar waiting for the bartender. "What can I get you sir?" He asked Lucian. "Whiskey." Was all he said. One of the perks of being a shadowhunter is that downworlder ran bars don't ask for ID cause most shadowhunters don't drink. Lucian ordered shot after shot until he felt the need to not numb the memories anymore. Before leaving he left $200 on the bar to cover any drinks he bought, and to buy the bar that had filled up in the past few hours a round. His cheeks were burning and his vision was blurred, but he knew his way home even in a drunken stupor.

When he left the bar the sun was setting, and by the time he got back to the institute the moon was high in the sky and shining down over all of New York. He rode the elevator up to the actual institute part. He stumbled out of the door and made his way to his room stumbling the whole way. When he came in Ailey was staring at him, or were there 3 Aileys staring at him. He honestly couldn't tell as he tried to walk in without talking, but she wasn't having any of that. "We are going to talk, now." She said leaving him no room to argue. "I understand that killing two people must be something that causes guilt, but you can't get drunk to avoid that." She told him. He sighed heavily. She didn't understand at all. He looked down at the ground inhaling and exhaling. He was about to puke. She was about to start lecturing him on responsibilities and trust when he rushed into the bathroom. For 10 minutes straight she heard the sound of him hurling all the alcohol he had been drinking into the toilet, and then she heard the shower turn on and Lucian singing something about flying to the moon and playing in the stars. Lucian stepped out wrapped in only a towel, then she saw the scar from earlier today. It was now an angry red line that would eventually fade to white. Then she noticed the rest of him. He was muscular, not broad or hefty, and his stomach was a perfect six-pack. He sat on his bed for a moment before looking at her. "Turn around." Was all he said to her. She was stubborn and didn't listen so what she saw next were his cheek. She knew he had a nice but from the way it filled out his pants, but now she saw it in its full glory. She turned her head to avoid seeing his cock. He pulled on a pair of black boxers and a pair of red pajama bottoms with a tight black tee. Before he sat back down he pulled something out of his vest. Ailey felt a small sliver chain with a rose pendant be placed around her neck. "I saw it today when I was out, and it made me think of you." He said. She smiled at him and blushed lightly, then she kissed him softly on his cheek. "Thank you, Lucian." She said still smiling. "For everything you've done for the last 2 days." She went back to her bed and pulled the blankets over herself. Lucian was left standing in the dimly lit room dumbstruck and half drunk. Eventually he regained control of his body and turned out the light before he lay on his bed feeling peace for the night.

 **Back in Idris**

The Marches and Dovewings were saddened and angered by the losses their sons. They had spent every day since the loss of their sons petitioning the Council and the Clave to do something about Lucian Flamebrandt, but they could not because he beat their sons in a less than honorable duel that was demanded by the patriarchs of both families. Without the help of the Clave or Council they took matters into their own hands. Marcus Dovewing and Dominic March sent out bounties to all the downworlders in New York. If the Clave and Council wouldn't help them then someone would.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments and all associated properties belong to Cassandra Clare**

Three weeks had passed since Lucian had killed Arthur and Finley. Their funeral was held in Idris, but Ailey and Lucian didn't attend. Ailey had finally adjusted to life with Lucian who never put on a shirt after he took a shower. She swore he did it just to try to bother her, but eventually she phased it out altogether. Lucian however had gotten an even worse reputation in both Idris and the institutes due to his victory, but he knew deep down if it would have been him Arthur and Finley would've been cheered on and greeted as heroes when they returned to Idris for a "trial" which would've just be a mild reprimand before they got relocated to a different institute. She and Lucian had finally stopped arguing as much, but there was an underlying tension between them that neither dared to address. Ailey thought it was a mistake kissing him on the cheek and tried to avoid bringing it up at all. Deep down Lucian had hoped something would have come of it, but after a week of nothing happening he decided to let it go. Today was the 4th of July though, and from what Lucian remembered Ailey led a very sheltered life.

Lucian had just finished his shower and sat on his bed looking at Ailey. "Hey, isn't your birthday today?" He asked her. She nodded at him too enraptured with her book to answer. He yanked the book out of her hands while holding her back with is palm. "Now that I have your attention." He said smugly. "What do you want to do for your 18th birthday?" He asked before marking her last spot and setting the book down. "I don't know what I want, but my book would be a nice start." She said as she reached for her book before it was abruptly yanked up by Lucian. She chased him around their room for 5 minutes before she eventually tackled him to the ground. What she didn't realize was that she was straddling him, and his body was quickly betraying him. "Fine." He said handing her the book as she got off him. "We should go to Central Park." He said. "Why would we do that?" She asked him as she flipped open her book. "Today is what mundanes call Independence Day." He said. "They have these huge celebrations to remember what their ancestors fought for." He finished. She looked at him with thoughtful eyes contemplating what it would be like to spend the evening under the stars. "Fine, I'll go." She complied. He smiled contently knowing that she wouldn't be totally bored on her birthday, but in the meantime he had to find her a gift. Ailey wasn't a particularly hard person to shop for, in fact she would be generally happy with anything bought for her. He wanted to give her something special though. He waved goodbye as he walked out of their room to roam the city attempting to find something he thought would be special enough to give her. Ailey was deeply invested in her story. The book told the tale of a man who was constantly fighting for his life in a world that wanted nothing more than to erase him. Maybe she had read a few too many tragic books. As she closed her book she thought of Lucian. Every time she did her cheeks turned red and her thoughts went to strange places. She knew that becoming romantically involved with your parabatai was forbade by the Clave, but she wanted something more with Lucian she just hadn't found a way yet to convey that to him. She exhaled heavily before walking into the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her crimson hair was now an inch longer and twisted into a bun, but her deep sea blue eyes looked tired. She assumed it was due to the fact that she spent most nights pretending to sleep when she was lying awake instead. She brushed her teeth and scrubbed her face clean before finding a change of clothes for the day. She and Lucian had really decorated the room, or rather she told Lucian where to put stuff in the room. They had since replaced their broken table and assembled a dresser. She looked in the closet however, and saw her black backless dress that she had bought last week with the help of Isabelle. She wanted to wear it so badly, but today was a day for something more casual. She put on her black leather pants and boots before pulling on a short sleeved formfitting shirt.

Lucian had been walking for an hour now attempting to find a place to find Ailey a suitable gift, but so far everything had been a waste of time. He realized he was near the home of Magnus Bane. Maybe he could get something from him. He stepped in front of the door waiting for Bane to notice him. He stood there waiting for what felt like an eternity. When the sound of metal gates scrapping open met his ears he immediately ran through them. Bane's house was an extravagant palace of luxuries and rarities, but he didn't have time for that right now. "Lucian Flamebrandt, to what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" Bane asked as he appeared at the top of the stairwell. "I need a small favor that shouldn't be a hassle for you." Lucian answered. "You want me to enchant a piece of jewelry, don't you?" Magnus asked him boredly. "You never miss a beat Magnus." Lucian said. "Very well, but I expect you to return the favor one day." Magnus said. Lucian pulled out two plain silver bands and handed them to Magnus. He disappeared to a back room and returned 10 minutes later with magically inscribed bands. "I put the standard telepathy spell on here for easier communication." Magnus told him. As he reached for the bands Magnus pulled him in and whispered something in his ear that caused him to scowl furiously. "Thank you, Magnus." Was all Lucian said as he exited the building. He had to get back to the institute now.

It was getting near five now and Lucian was supposed to be back an hour ago. "Where the hell is he?" She asked the empty room. She had gotten used to him showing up late for most things, but it was her birthday she expected a little punctuality from him. Lucian walked in and was immediately stopped by an angry looking Ailey. "Do you have any idea what time it is!?" She yelled at him. "You do realize we don't need to leave until six, right?" He asked. She immediately stopped. "And I asked you to get ready early cause I wanted to take you to dinner." He said. She didn't expect this. He waved his hand in her face to break her out of her trance. She hooked her arm with Lucian's and dragged him right back out of the door down to street level. He hailed a taxi and told him some coordinates that she didn't hear. She was too excited about this date, or was it a date maybe he just wanted to be her friend. "Why can't I figure you out!" She screamed internally as she looked at Lucian who was looking out of the window. Time passed as they rode down the streets and through boroughs to end up at what seemed like a hole in the wall place. Lucian handed the driver a wad of cash and helped Ailey out of the cab. "How do you always have money?" She asked him. "I have my ways." Was all he replied. They were standing outside of what looked like a laundry mat. She sighed thinking he had gotten the wrong location, but he walked into the place with no hesitation. She followed him in and surely enough it was a generic laundry matt. "Lucian, I thought you were taking me somewhere nice." She said. "Just wait here and maybe you'll learn about something new." He replied. "Oh hell no, did he just call me stupid?" she thought. She was about to yell when a side door near the cashier flung open and he beckoned her over. Okay maybe Lucian knew more than she thought. "This is one of the best dining locations in New York." He told her as they descended a stair case that led into a beautiful ballroom lit by chandeliers and filled with downworlders. "You brought me to a downworlder bar!" she whisper yelled at him. He chuckled at her before getting pulled aside by a group of werewolves. He talked to them for a minute before he returned to her and led them to a table. "How do you manage all of this?" She asked him. "Don't ask questions you aren't ready to hear the answers to." Was his cryptic reply. She raised an eyebrow, but was distracted by a waitress who had brought them menus. She noticed that the waitress winked at Lucian before she walked off. "And what was that all about?" She asked him with anger lacing her words. "She's a friend of mine." He answered. She was getting fed up with his half assed answers, so she instead chose to look at her menu. The place had an impressive repertoire of food and drink. They sold everything from water to things like separate types of blood. She decided to order chicken alfredo with a glass of chianti. Lucian waved over the waitress again. She smiled at them asking them their orders. Ailey said her, but Lucian was a whole different story. "You know the most delicious thing in here is you Marisol." He replied coolly looking at her and she blushed furiously at that remark. "I take it you'll be having your usual meal then?" She asked. He nodded. "And Lucian, it's nice to see you again." She said as she took their menus and brought them their drinks. Ailey was utterly confused with the way the night was going. Lucian was getting stared at by almost all the women, and not in the way that you do when you hate someone. No, those stares were stares of lust. Just what in the hell was Lucian's reputation here. She downed her glass of chianti, and the girl known as Marisol brought out a bottle of it so that she could pour at her own pace. "Lucian, why are all these women staring at you?" she asked him trying not to sound mad. "Because they know who I am, and I'm also pretty damn sexy so that helps as well." He replied. "What does that even mean?" Her temper was rising, and Lucian's popularity among the females wasn't helping it any. I mean they aren't dating so why should she care if he's getting stared at, or at least she told herself that. "You're an asshole Flamebrandt." She blurted out without thinking. Lucian looked at her wondering what he did to prompt a reaction like that, granted he wasn't denying it he just wondered why she thought that. "Why do you say that?" He asked her. "You bring me to dinner, and then proceed to dodge all my questions and flirt with our waitress." She told him with her pent-up anger coming out in her voice. Lucian looked down at his glass of whiskey before taking a small gulp before answering her. "I'm guessing you have plenty of questions so I'll answer the main one." He said. "The reason no one here is even angry or bothering me is because of my family and our dealings with all of them on an individual level." He answered before taking a sip of his whiskey and continuing. "That however has destroyed our reputation in Idris because we willingly deal with downworlders, we are closely knit with most of the downworld community so I think we got the better end of things." He finished as Marisol brought out their food. Before walking off she leaned down and planted a drawn-out kiss on Lucian's lips before skipping off to another table. "And do you care to explain that?" She asked him. "Marisol was one of my clients a year ago." He said as he took a small bite out of a medium rare steak. "She was just bitten and needed blood before she went insane, so I took her back to the clan of vampires that reside in the Brocelind Forest." He looked to see if she was following before he continued. "After that we dated for a few months before things got complicated and we decided to end it." He finished. "And she did that just to bother you." He added as he took another bite of his steak. What had Ailey done to this girl to draw her ire. "You're probably wondering why she did that to bother you." Lucian said. "Great now he's a damn mind reader." She thought. "She enjoys bothering anyone I bring here for the first time." He said laying a napkin on his barely eaten steak. Ailey was eating the whole time he was explaining things so she had an empty plate and a half empty bottle of chianti. He hailed over a purple haired waitress to pay her before she wrapped him in a hug and ran off to get his change. "Before you even ask she's like a little sister to me." Lucian said before she even had time to formulate something crude. The girl came back and handed Lucian a few dollars and cents before pulling a chair to their table. "Ailey this is Alice." He said introducing them to one another. Alice smiled at Ailey before turning to Lucian. "You promised me you'd come around more often Lucian." She said with anger lacing her words. "Well it probably will be at least once a month as I live in New York now." He told her as her features lit up. She tackled him into a bear hug and he hugged her back. She went on and on about how they could all hang out together and how Lucian should meet the New York pack of werewolves. Ailey saw Lucian had the ghost of a smile on his face the whole time she was talking to him. "Alice, sorry I have to cut this short but I'll be back in a week or so." He said to her sadly as she frowned. He hugged her again before pushing in his chair. Ailey followed his lead and followed him out the door, but as they were getting ready to leave everyone toasted him. He waved to them before walking back through the fake wall and sealing it behind him. The two of them were standing outside of the place. She interlocked her arm with his. "Lead the way." Was all she said and he went onward.

Thankfully Central Park was only a few blocks away. They arrived a little behind schedule but Lucian had found them a spot on the top of a hill that gave an amazing view of the park. Ailey had to give it to Lucian he knew how to pick a good location. "So, what are we waiting for?" She asked him. "Fireworks." He answered simply. She knew what fireworks were, but she had never seen them before so she was excited. "Hey, you lived a sheltered life before New York, didn't you?" Lucian asked her. "Yea my parents spent all their time training and grooming me to become a leader." She said. She didn't hate her parents she just didn't want to be what they wanted her to be. The sound of something whistling caught her attention, and then as she looked up an explosion of color painted the sky. Lucian had out done himself for her birthday. "Ailey, I have a gift for you." He said. She was surprised when he handed her a simple silver band. She took it and put it on. "Well I expected something a bit different, but this is okay." She thought. "You know that almost hurts my feelings." Lucian's voice said in her head. She looked at Lucian who was smiling at her. "You got me enchanted rings for my birthday?" She asked. "Yea I figured if we ever get parted we can use this to stay in touch." He said. He actually cared about her. It felt like the first time someone cared about something other than her name or her body. She took the ring off and put it in her pocket. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense up before he relaxed again. She decided to be bold cause damn it that was who she was. She placed her hand on top of his. Lucian was looking at her with his eyebrow raised. She took it farther and started inching her face near his. Part of her was longing for this type of contact with him. Lucian leaned in against his better judgement. He wanted this as bad as her even if both knew the rules about parabatai and love. Ailey felt his lips brushing hers and it sent jolts of electricity through her. "Only a few more centimeters." She thought. "Lucian Flamebrandt!" A voice yelled from behind them. Lucian immediately broke contact much to Ailey's displeasure to face the voice. "Antoine." He growled through his teeth. "You know why I'm here Lucian, and might I say you have a way of making friends." Antoine said jokingly as more vampires stalked out of the trees all with the same smug grin as Antoine. "Ailey, return to the institute." Lucian said to her. She was about to start but Lucian turned to her with a scowl on his face that gave her no room to argue. He gave her a handful of money and told her to go to Magnus Bane's residence. She looked at him once more before running towards the exit leaving Lucian behind. She wanted to turn back and fight, but Lucian must have had his reasons for making her leave. That's what she told herself anyway as she hailed a taxi and handed him a piece of paper with an address on it.

"Lucian, you have managed to make an enemy of Dominic and Marcus." Antoine said as his vampires began jumping on Lucian. "Even I draw a line, but you just can't seem to stop yourself." Antoine taunted him. Lucian was stabbing and slashing at vampires with two daggers he had pulled out of his boots when they first appeared. At this point he had killed at least ten and maimed a few more than that, but he knew eventually he'd be over run. Antoine had strolled over to Lucian and was watching him jump and slash at his minions. He rushed Lucian and caught him in the jaw with a spinning kick knocking him to the ground. Before he had time to move he was pinned down and cuffed. "As much as I would love to end your life with my own hands I think I'll give you to Dominic and Marcus so that you can suffer before you die." He said smiling at Lucian while his minions dragged him along. "Onward boys and gals to Hotel Dumont." He yelled. "We have a portal with our names on it." Antoine and his soldiers rushed to the hotel as Lucian fell into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 5

Lucian had a bag over his head, but he knew that Hotel Dumort was basically a fort for vampires in New York. "Ailey for the love of god please tell me you have your ring on." He thought. "Lucian!" She replied. "Ailey, listen once you get to Bane's tell him that the clan at Dumort is cooperating with Antoine. He'll know what to do." Lucian finished before sliding his ring off and holding it tightly in his palm. "You know what your problem is Lucian?" Antoine asked him sarcastically. "You're hated more in Alicante that a vampire is. Do you know how hard it is to be hated more than a vampire?" He asked him while laughing. "The best part is that we convinced Camille to turn against you and your family." He said still snickering. Lucian was going to have revenge one day. He heard doors opening before he was jammed into the truck of a car.

Ailey paid the driver double to get her to Bane's house faster. She rushed out of the cab slamming the door behind her. "Bane!" She yelled as she banged on his door. "Damn it Bane I need your help to save Lucian!" She screamed even louder. His door flew open. "Get in here now." He said closing the door behind her. She saw Alec and Jace with a red head she had never met standing in the room. "Hey Ailey, what brought you here?" Alec asked her. "Lucian was kidnapped by some vampire named Antoine." She answered. Magnus's eyes narrowed and he cursed under his breath. "Hang on." The red head said. Isabelle was running over to them out of the area that the party was occurring in. "Simon drank something and turned into a rat and now he's in possession of the vampires." She said in between breaths. The red head's face immediately went white. "Clary, I will unblock your memories, but nothing after this is free." Bane said. He waved his hand in front of her face chanting words in the language of warlocks and witches. She looked as if she had opened her eyes for the first time. "I have to go get Simon." Clary said. "I need to get Lucian as well." Ailey added in. Isabelle's eyes narrowed at Ailey. "Lucian is at Durmort?" She asked her. "Yes, but he's being kidnapped by a group of vampires that aren't part of the New York clan." She said. "Okay then it's settled were going to Dumort to save two people." Jace said. "We should report this too Hodge before we do anything rash." Alec said trying to be the voice of reason, but reason wouldn't save her parabatai. "Alec, you can do that but I'm going now." Ailey said walking towards the door, but she was being followed by Clary, Jace, and the Lightwood siblings. "All of you listen to me." Bane spoke up. "None of you are to fight with Antoine under any circumstances." He spoke with finality in his tone. "Why would I let him take my parabatai Magnus?" She asked him. "Because none of you would survive the encounter with him." He replied darkly. Ailey let what he said sink in. "Fine then what can we do?" She asked him. "Nothing, you leave Antoine to Lucian." He told them plainly. She wanted to scream and yell, but it would be a waste of energy. Jace opened the door and all of them went onward to Hotel Dumort.

Jace showed them the location of a hidden cache of weapons in a cemetery near Dumort. Ailey grabbed two seraph blades and secured each blade on her hip. "So, what's the plan to get into Dumort?" She asked to see if anyone had a plan. "The building is burned out, so there has to be a back entrance." Alec said. "We simply need to find one and go from there." It was far from a perfect plan, but they were on a time limit and Ailey couldn't think of anything better. They moved a few blocks away to search for a back entrance. Ailey was poking around in an alley when she saw a grate that led straight into the hotel. "Hey guys I found something." She said as they all walked over and looked at the grate. "This will work perfectly." Alec said as he and Jace pulled the rusted grate up out of the concrete. Clary and Jace went down together followed by Alec and Isabelle then finally Ailey. Ailey saw the way Jace looked a Clary. It was the look that Lucian had been giving her a lot recently. She ignored it and decided to focus on the task at hand, getting back Lucian and some boy named Simon. As they walked through the sewers they heard what sounded like a platoon of vampires marching through the hotel. Alec found a hole big enough for all of them to fight through with little to no problems. Ailey was the last one to pull herself up as they were in a building being dimly lit by broken chandeliers. "They're all probably going to be near the same area so we're going to follow this Antoine guy and probably find Simon in the process." Jace said to the group. Ailey brought up the rear while Alec took point with his bow. They kept to the shadows attempting to avoid the small groups of vampires casually chatting. They were successful until Antoine came to a stop to talk to a woman that they all assumed was Camille. "Ah Camille you are as beautiful as I remember you." Antoine said as they kissed one another on the cheek in a formal greeting. "My dear Antoine, your little business venture prompted an early return." She said as she ripped the sack off Lucian's head. "You're such a handsome young man, but sadly this is business." She said looking at him like a piece of meat. "Men prepare the portal to Idris for Antoine and his people." She yelled to the vampires. They set about preparing all the means to open a portal. "We have to move." Ailey hissed at the group. Jace had already sprang into action screaming out Michael as his blade shot to life. Ailey followed suit screaming out Uriel and Sanvi at the top her lungs as her blades shot out burning brightly.

The problem with Dumort is that was an extremely large building. Simon was on the other side of the building with Raphael Santiago, but everyone in the room heard the screams and shouts from the other side thanks to their enhanced senses. Before anyone had the chance to run to the other side of the building Raphael stopped them. Simon took this as his chance and bit his hand before running off into one of the mouse holes in the building towards the noise.

Jace and Ailey were back to back holding off an onslaught of vampires as Isabelle and Alec were protecting Clary. Everyone was distracted when they heard the portal explode to life. Antoine walked through the portal pushing Lucian in front of him as his soldiers fell in behind him before it shut abruptly. "Ailey, we have to go we can't handle all these vampires." Jace said. She knew they couldn't, but she wanted to make them suffer for taking him from her. "Ailey listen to him and go." Lucian's voice resounded in her head. She reluctantly listened to him. They all broke out into full sprint towards the nearest door. Jace rammed his shoulder into the door causing it to swing open onto a set of exterior stairs. "Everyone get to the street." Jace yelled as they all descended the stairs followed by an onslaught of vampires, but they hadn't realized it was morning and the sun was peaking over the horizon. Their pursuers gave up the chase in favor of staying alive. Apparently, Simon had found his way to them as a rat and jumped into Clary's hands before they made a run for it. They all began the walk back to the institute bearing news that no one liked telling.

Lucian had been picked up by Antoine as he made his way through an unfamiliar tunnel on the outskirts of Alicante. Antoine had always wanted to kill Lucian, but couldn't do it without facing the wrath of a considerable amount of downworlders. This way he could be assured that Lucian would suffer and he'd get something out of it other than personal satisfaction. "I brought you the boy, now pay up." He spoke into the darkness of the tunnel. Dominic and Marcus stepped out of the darkness and each tossed him a bag of coins. 4000 gold coins was what was offered, but Antoine probably would've done it for free. "Your services are no longer requires Mr. Yaman." Dominic spoke as they walked off with a captive Lucian.


End file.
